1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the thermal conversion of methane to acetylene and particularly relates to compression, rapid heating and decompression, and short residence time reaction of methane to produce acetylene in the combustion space of a cyclically operated internal combustion engine.
2. Setting of the Invention
It is known that hydrocarbons, including methane, as well as higher aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, will yield acetylene and ethylene when subjected to partial combustion or thermal cracking processes. In thermal cracking processes, the necessary heat for the reaction is supplied to the hydrocarbon charge by external or indirect heating. Thermal cracking has not been found to be commercially viable for methane pyrolysis. In partial combustion processes, necessary heat for the reaction is supplied by combusting part of the methane charge. The principal difficulty with the partial combustion system is coke formation within the reaction system. Both processes require high temperatures to form acetylene, together with rapid cooling of the reaction product to avoid decomposition of the acetylene formed.